Rivers State Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress loyal to the Transport Minister, Chibuike Amaechi and its rival group led by Igo Aguma flexed muscles on Friday following the decisions to engage in suspensions and counter-suspensions of key members of the party.
The Isaac Abbot-Ogbobula-led state Caretaker Committee of the party loyal to Amaechi suspended APC leaders in Igo Aguma’s faction at the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt.
Among those he suspended for alleged anti-party activities were Igo Aguma, Senator Magnus Abe, Livistone Wechie and Wogu Boms for anti-party activities.
Ogbobula further recommended their expulsion from the party while suspending party members, who were recently inaugurated as local government and ward caretaker committees’ leaders by Aguma.
He added that all persons, who took the party to court without exhausting the internal mechanisms for conflict resolutions remained suspended.
Ogbobula said: “We met and looked at the state of the party in the state, x-rayed and reviewed some issues towards moving the party forward and cleaning up of the party and to take disciplinary measures against members of the party, who caused infractions on the party.
“We received communication from some local government areas which came to them from the ward level. One of the reports came from ward 16 in Gokana Local Government Area through the local government leadership of the party.
“We also got communications from ward 2, 10 and 19 of Port Harcourt Local Government Area. All the communications we received from the said wards came through the local government Caretaker Committees of out party.
“From ward 16, Gokana, it was resolved by members of the party in that ward that Sen. Magnus Abe having conducted himself in a manner that runs contrary to the party’s constitution, having severally engaged in anti-party activities against smooth running of the party, that he is suspended. It was ratified by the Local government excos and we hereby confirm his suspension and further recommend his expulsion from the party.
“From ward 2 of Port Harcourt, wherein it was resolved that Hon. Igo Aguma is suspended. We have looked at the resolution reached at the ward suspending Aguma as submitted to the state by the local government caretaker committee.
“We have looked at the issues of the purported inauguration of Local Governmet caretaker Committee, knowing that the national executive committee of the party has dissolved all structures of the party and inaugurated a caretaker committee. Igo Aguma has continually paraded himself as the authentic chairman of the party, acting against the party’s constitution.
“We have confirmed his suspension from his ward and local government and recommend his expulsion from the party
“We have also received from ward 10, PHALGA, on the suspension of Livingstone Wechie. We received from ward 19 of PHALGA of the suspension of Wogu Boms. Both of them (Wechie and Boms) were suspended by their wards, ratified by the local government and forwarded to us. We have confirmed same and further recommended their expulsion for anti-party activities.
“In the same emergency meeting, we resolved that all those, who were purportedly inaugurated by Igo Aguma as caretaker committees stand expelled from the party.
“We further deliberated on the issue of all the people who took the party to court without exhausting the internal mechanism of the party, especially, after the decision of the party that no one should go to court without exhausting the party’s internal mechanism.
“We have listed all those who infracted the party and went to court. We resolved that all of them are from today expelled from the party.”
But before he reeled out the punishment, Ogbobula had been suspended by the Ahoada-East Local Government area, where he hails from, for anti-party activities, by the Aguma group.
A statement signed by the Local Government Caretaker Committee Chairman, MacSunday Ugwu and the Secretary, Chiemele Agbo, said Ogbobula was first suspended by his ward.
The statement said: “In agreement with the suspension of Mr. Isaac Ogbobula by the Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress in Ward 10, Ahoada-East Local Government Area in Rivers State, the CTC of the party along with the LGA caucus met and reviewed the said allegation of anti-party activities against Mr. Isaac Ogbobula.
“These allegations amounted to gross misconduct and other actions capable of putting the party in jeopardy. We have resolved that in order to save the image of the party in the LGA from acts capable of destroying the good image of the party, Mr Isaac Ogbobula is hereby suspended from the party in the LGA”.
Speaking on the development, Aguma in a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Livingstone Wechie, described Ogbobula as cheerleader and Chairman of an aggrieved group within the APC loyal to Rotimi Amaechi. Wechie said Ogbobula remained an unrepentant impostor in the party and his action constituted an act of desperation and self-help insisting that his group lacked existence in Rivers.
He said: “The actions of Ogbobula are a just a show of extreme desperation particularly being a supposed legal Practitioner who is in Court. It further indicates that he has no regard for judicial processes and can not wait for the court which he approached to determine his fate.
“It is important to state that there is no order of Court anywhere restraining Igo Aguma from functioning as the Acting/Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party. The Appeal Court during a proceeding on or about the October 30, 2020 reaffirmed that it did not make any order restraining Igo Aguma from functioning as the Chairman of the APC in Rivers state.
“In the meantime, we are aware that earlier today December 19, 2020, Isaac Ogbobula was declared suspended by Ward 10 where he belongs and confirmed by his Local Government Ahoada-East Caretaker Committee and transmitted to the state Caretaker Committee which has referred his matter to the State disciplinary Committee for action.
“For the records, every statement or concocted declarations made by Ogbobula today in his desperation remain invalid and of no effect”.